Fox Developing Marvel's 'Frank Castle' The Punisher Television Series! Recent reports suggest that Fox has bought a television series for MarvelComics character Frank Castle, better known as 'The Punisher.' For more details, make the jump!

The trades of Variety, among other media outlets, are suggesting that Disney's ABC channel has sold a television series based on famous Marvel comics character Frank Castle, better known as 'The Punisher,' to FOX. Learning only last year that Marvel Studios retained the rights to the character, find out below vaguely what they have planned for the vigilante.

The Punisher is described as an hour-long procedural with a Marvel signature and a new take on one of comic book giant’s iconic characters, Frank Castle, a rising star detective with the NYC Police Department who moonlights as the vigilante Punisher seeking justice for those the system has failed. Bernero will executive produce along with Marvel. This marks the first sale this season and the first one ever outside of ABC for Disney-owned Marvel, which is developing TV series based on its properties through ABC Studios.

While The Hulk may have been given the, ahem, green light, it has now been revealed by The Hollywood Reporter that The Punisher will not be joining him on the small screen. Despite the fact that Fox and ABC Studios were planning on moving ahead with Criminal Minds' Ed Bernero on a pilot, Paul Lee (the president of the latter network) has confirmed that it is not moving ahead. No reason was given, but you can read his comments about working on other Marvel TV shows by clicking HERE. The series was originally described as an hour-long procedural which would have made Frank Castle a rising NYPD detective who moonlights as The Punisher in order to seek justice for those that the system failed. Fans weren't too happy with those changes to continuity and may not be all that broken hearted by the news

Filmmaker Mike Pecci shocked his fans today when he revealed, via his website, that his long-awaited Punisher fan film, The Dead Can’t Be Distracted, may never see the light of day: He received a cease and desist letter from Marvel Studios, which demanded that he “immediately stop [the] unauthorized use, advertising, sale and/or distribution of any production of The Punisher or any other Marvel character-based films.” In Pecci’s words, “According to Marvel it would ‘confuse the audience’ into believing that it’s an official Marvel production.“ Confusion, though, seems unlikely, which makes the whole thing all the more baffling. What’s even more odd is there have been dozens (if not more) quality fan films produced based on Marvel characters and stories, and, to my knowledge, none have been taken down by a cease and desist from Marvel.

But for Punisher fans this leads to a more interesting question: Is the real reason Marvel/Disney is trying to halt this production (which is based on a very popular storyline from Greg Rucka) be because they could be planning to use it as the basis for a third Punisher film? Or maybe a Punisher television series, since none of the previous three movies set the box office on fire, and Disney might be trying to make the character work in another medium? That, of course, is purely speculation, but by sending Pecci this cease and desist, it could be showing their hand regarding their future plans for the character. Or they could just be flexing their legal muscle to protect their rights to the material.